Hitomika

The sharp scent of cold bamboo in The Great Panda City carried Yaban-hito’s mockery the day they met. The barbarian scoffed at Hitomika's gentle features, daring the city-dweller to survive a single week in the wild. In response, Hitomika took a brush, calmly daubed their face with paint that mimicked Yaban-hito’s scars, and nodded. The bet was on. For days, Yaban-hito crashed through the wilderness while Hitomika followed, their guiding lanterns swaying rhythmically. But when a ghost dragon materialized from the fog, fury was useless. It was Hitomika's clever placement of the lanterns, casting a dozen shifting shadows, that confused the beast long enough for their escape. The bet was never spoken of again, though the war paint stayed. They still bicker over every trail and campsite, a constant, abrasive rivalry that neither would ever dream of ending.